


The cat and the newcomer

by Fleur_de_Violette



Series: The cat and the bats [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and the Signal (Comics), DCU
Genre: Duke Thomas Needs a Hug, Duke Thomas is Signal, Fluff and Angst, Gen, He doesn't exactly got one but he got to pet the cat so there is that, talking to pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23632780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fleur_de_Violette/pseuds/Fleur_de_Violette
Summary: Duke always found people talking to their pets about their problems silly. And yet here he was.
Relationships: Duke Thomas & Alfred the Cat
Series: The cat and the bats [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1648072
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34





	The cat and the newcomer

**Author's Note:**

> Hi ! Here is a fic about Duke and the cat which might be a little darker than first intended. I hope you’ll like it anyway !

“Hi, my name is Duke Thomas.”

Duke sighed. The cat yawned and made half a tour on himself before laying back down on the couch.

“I’m from the Narrows. I’m new here. Nice to meet you.” 

He felt stupid. He was talking to the cat. It was not like the animal could answer him. Or could he? A cat talking wouldn’t be the weirdest thing he would have seen in the Wayne manor, and if he recalled correctly, there was a man who could turn into a cat. 

No, the cat who was actually a man was green, he remembered, so there was no chance that it could be this one. This cat, black and white, was Damian’s. As far as Duke knew it was just a regular cat, if not trained to be a spy assassin cat. Which was a very real possibility but also one he didn’t want to think about. The probably not a spy assassin cat lifted an ear toward him and then put his head back in his paws, away form Duke. The man chuckled.

“Yeah, same, honestly…” 

He stayed like that for a while, sitting on the couch next to the cat. The manor was a weird place regarding time. Either everything moved too fast, or the time slowed down into an infinite loop of boredom. Of course, he could always go into one of the multiple libraries, training, or even just start playing one of the multiple video games he knew were somewhere around. But somehow, doing these things on his own seemed weird. Like being invited to someone’s place and starting to touch their stuff. Technically, he knew he could, that he was as welcome to do these things in the manor as in his own home, but it still seemed wrong. So, he just stayed on the couch with the cat. 

After a few awkward minutes, he decided to start talking to the cat again. 

“I was a Robin once, kinda like your master…” 

He took a second to think about it

“Well, not really like your master. See, I wasn’t a _Batman and Robin_ Robin. More like a _Robin and Robin and then more Robin_ Robin.”

For what he heard, Damian didn’t have Bruce when he started being Robin either, but he still had a Batman. Plus his training with the Robin squad absolutely wasn’t on the same level as a league of assassins training. 

“But I’m not that anymore. Now I’m The Signal. I wasn’t Robin for very long. Shortest run as Robin ever.” 

Stephanie might argue on that. But moving on. 

“Anyway, I’m the new kid. I kinda wonder when I’ll stop being the new kid tough.” 

He marked another pose, thinking of what to say next. This was silly to think about how to formulate his sentences considering he was talking to a cat who probably couldn’t understand him, but he still felt like doing it. 

“I’m not _his_ kid. I know I might not be the first one here to say that, but I’m not… and I don’t plan on becoming…”

He breathed through the lamp in his throat. Ok, calming down. He could do it. If was talking alone. Well, to the cat, but it was the same as alone. Almost.

“I’m not… I already have parents. Alive parents. And I’m not in need of a father figure like apparently everyone in this…”

Team ? Family ? 

“…whatever it is that we are. Everyone seems to have dad issues.” 

Everyone but Barbara. And even then, debatable. 

“But me… my dad and my mom. They were here, you know. And they didn’t kill people, or did other regrettable things, they didn’t die when I was eight, and they were able to take care of me so… sometimes I look around me, and I know this isn’t a good mindset but I think to myself. It could have been so much worse. And even if…” 

He stopped again, taking a breath that was too close to a sob for his liking. He didn’t anyone hearing him. The cat stood lazily and made another halt a tour to go to rest his head on Duke’s arm. The man took it as an invitation to pet the animal's head and keep talking. 

“Even after… I don’t want to be Bruce’s son. I don’t think that’s even on the table, legally speaking. And also, I still hope…”

He shook his head, clearing his thought.

“I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”

He had said that as if he was talking to a psychologist. Oh, this isn’t something I feel ready to share today, Mr. cat, maybe next time. He always fond people who talked to their pets about their problems ridiculous. And yet here he was. If he asked Bruce would probably pay him a therapy. Leslie might know a few professionals. He didn’t really know if he wanted to ask.

“Anyway, when I look at the other kids, some are adults but still, when I look at the other kids here, I feel like. You know I don’t have…” 

He posed, thinking about it again. 

“Well, I _do_ have a superpower, I’m actually the only one who has a superpower, but that’s not really… You know, when you ask kids what kind of superpower they want, they always say flying or super intelligence, and I have neither of these things. No kids ever say that they want to be the superhero who can see the entire electromagnetic spectrum or the light from the past but only a few minutes.” 

He posed to take a breath. He was starting to get thirsty from talking. Maybe he should go to the kitchen and take a glass of water. Maybe it wouldn’t feel like a weird thing to do. But the cat climbed on his knee, preventing him from moving. Ok, then. He scratched the feline back for a few minutes before starting again. 

“This isn’t really about the power. The kids. What they want isn’t really flying or super intelligence. What they want is the confidence that goes with it. They think that if they have the power, they will have the confidence that goes with it. But it’s not really how it works. Plenty of powerless people here who are full of confidence, or at least look like it. And I know at least one with a power that doesn’t feel the least confident. There are moments, out there, where I feel like I can do anything. But others…”

The cat lifted his head, guiding Duke’s hand below his head for more petting. 

“You don’t really care about that, do you? You’re a cat, you don’t need anyone’s approval to just go on with your life. And… my problem isn’t really approval, because I got approval from Bruce and the others but… I feel like the only one I can’t get to trust me is myself.”

He sighed, again. 

“Yeah, that seems like I’m just complaining a lot. I don’t use to do that. It’s just…”

He trailed off again. Under his hand, the cat twisted just enough to lick him several times before resuming his purring. Duke laughed. 

“Is that your seal of approval? You can stay, Duke, you’re one of us, I should know, I’m a cat.” 

The last sentence had been said mimicking a low, Batman like voice. He chuckled again and scratched the cat’s throat, feeling the vibration under his hand.

“Thanks buddy, I don’t know if that’s… I think that’s helping. Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Oh the angst. I’m sorry it turned out that way, I wanted to something cuter and funnier, but somehow this happened. I even listened to Ghibli soundtrack while writing to will myself into cuteness, but I don’t think that worked? 
> 
> Alfred behavior is roughly based on our three cats so it might be a little inconsistent between the fics. 
> 
> Next one will be either Steph, Cass or Dick. I haven’t decided yet but these are the three I already know what I will do with. Prepare for cuddle (make it double?). 
> 
> Anyway thank you for reading, I hope everything is good for you in these hard times, take care of yourselves and have a nice day.
> 
> Violette


End file.
